2024_10_22 RFQ for Airport Planning_Engineeri.pdf

City of Thomasville 2 Request for Qualifications Thomasville Regional Airport RFQ 2024-011 Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION & GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION

2. SELECTION METHOD

3. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

4. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

5. PROPOSAL FORMAT

6. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

7. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

8. CONTRACT, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS

Forms:

Form 1: Certification Form Form 2: Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act Affidavit Form 3: The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Standard Title VI/Non- Discrimination Assurances, DOT Order No. 1050.2A (Appendix A) Form 4: The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Standard Title VI/Non- Discrimination Assurances, DOT Order No. 1050.2A (Appendix E) Form 5: Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters – Primary Covered Transactions (49 CFR Part 29 – Appendix A) Form 6: Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion – Lower Tier Covered Transactions (49 CFR Part 29 – Appendix B) Form 7: Acknowledgement of Addendum Form 8: Area Class Summary Example

Exhibits:

Exhibit 1 Scope of Services

City of Thomasville 3 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024

1. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION

1.1. Overview

The City of Thomasville is soliciting Statements of Qualifications from qualified aviation consulting firms to provide professional planning, engineering, architectural, and construction administration services in connection with the Airport Capital Improvement Plan at the Thomasville Regional Airport in Thomasville, Georgia.

This Request for Qualifications seeks to identify potential providers for the Scope of Services as listed in Exhibit 1. Firms that respond to this RFQ, and are determined to be sufficiently GDOT pre-qualified, may be deemed eligible and invited to offer their technical approach and/or possibly present and/or interview for these services. All respondents to this RFQ are subject to instruction communicated in this document and are cautioned to completely review the entire RFQ and follow instructions carefully. The City of Thomasville reserves the right to reject any or all States of Qualifications or technical approach, and to waive technicalities and informalities at the discretion of the City of Thomasville.

1.2. IMPORTANT – A RESTRICTION OF COMMUNICATION IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS PROJECT

From the advertisement date of this solicitation until successful respondents are selected and the award is made official and announced, firms are not allowed to communicate about this solicitation or scope with any City of Thomasville staff including City Council members, except for the submission of questions as instructed in the RFQ or with the contact designated in RFQ Section 7.4. For violation of this provision, the City of Thomasville reserves the right to reject the submittal of the offending respondent.

1.3. Scope of Services

Under the terms of the resulting Agreement, the selected consultant scope of services as outlines in Exhibit 1. Area Class requirements can be found in paragraph 2.7. Qualified firms must demonstrate competence and experience in all areas of expertise required by the scope of services.

1.4. Contract Term and Type

It is the intent of the City of Thomasville to enter into a multi-year Master Agreement with a consultant for the upcoming five (5) year period. The selected consultant will negotiate and enter into individual sub-agreements or task orders for services, based on the scope of work, with the City of Thomasville on an assignment-by-assignment basis during the term of the Master Agreement. Responding firms and/or teams must possess a current pre-qualification by the Georgia Department of Transportation in Area Classes 1.08 (Airport Master Planning), 2.09(a) (Aviation Design - Civil), 2.09(b) (Aviation Design – Electrical), and 8.02 (Airport Construction Administration and Observation) for professional on-call planning and engineering services to the Thomasville Regional Airport.

1.5. Federal Funds

Since federal funds will be used to pay for all or portions of the scope of services and is, therefore, considered federal-aid, this RFQ, the selection of the consultant, and future task orders are being done in accordance with FAA Advisory Circular 150/5100-14D and applicable local, state, and federal statues and laws.

City of Thomasville 4 Request for Qualifications

2. SELECTION METHOD

2.1. Method of Communication

All general communication of relevant information regarding this solicitation will be made via the Georgia Procurement Registry (GPR) under RFQ 2024-011. All firms are responsible for checking the GPR on a regular basis for updates, clarifications, and announcements. The City of Thomasville reserves the right to communicate via electronic mail with the primary contact listed in the Statements of Qualifications (SOQ). Other specific communications will be made as indicated in the remainder of this

RFQ.

The City of Thomasville has a post office box number and is primarily referenced in this RFQ. If a physical mailing address is required to submit the SOQ, use the following: City of Thomasville, Attn: Engineering Department, 411 West Jackson Street, Thomasville, GA 31792.

2.2. Phase 1 – Selection of Finalists

Based on the SOQs submitted in response to the project listed in this RFQ, the Selection Committee will review the Qualifications listed in Paragraph 4.1, Selection Criteria for Phase 1 – Criteria for Evaluation of Statements of Qualifications and independently evaluate the submissions. The Selection Committee will discuss the top submittals and determine the final rankings of the top submittals. From the final rankings of the top submittals, the Selection Committee will identify three (3) to five (5) firms that will be shortlisted and selected as finalists.

The City of Thomasville will first conduct a pass/fail and responsiveness review prior to evaluating and scoring the SOQs. Only those SOQs deemed responsive and deemed to pass the pass/fail criteria will be scored and eligible to be shortlisted. All firms must also meet the minimum requirements as listed in Paragraph 2.7 below.

2.3. Finalist Notification for Phase 2

Firms selected and shortlisted as finalists will receive a “Notice to Selected Finalists” from the City of Thomasville via email and asked to participate in Phase 2 - Technical Approach and Past Performance response. Additionally, any modifications to the Phase 2 instructions will also be added to the “Notice to Selected Finalists.”

2.4. Phase 2 – Finalists Response on Technical Approach and Past Performance

The City of Thomasville may request a Technical Approach of the three (3) to five (5) finalist firms for the contract. The City of Thomasville reserves the right to request a presentation/interview as determined in its best interests. Each finalist firm shall be notified in writing and informed of the Technical Approach due date. Any additional detailed Technical Approach instructions and requirements beyond that provided in Paragraph 4.2, Selection Criteria for Phase 2 – Criteria Qualifications for Evaluation of Technical Approach and Past Performance Qualifications, will be provide in the Finalist Notification. All members of the Selection Committee will review the Technical Approach (and will attend the presentation/interview if so chosen). Firms shall not address any questions prior to the award announcement to anyone other than the designated contact.

City of Thomasville 5 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024

2.5. Final Selection

Final selection will be determined by carrying the scores from Phase 1 forward for each Finalist and by evaluating the Technical Approach and Past Performance criteria for Phase 2. The Selection Committee will discuss the Finalist’s Phase 2 Responses and the final rankings will be determined. Negotiations will then be initiated with the top-ranked firm(s) to finalize the terms and conditions of the contract(s), including the fees to be paid. In the event a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached with the highest-ranking firm(s), the City of Thomasville will formally terminate the negotiations and possibly enter into negotiations with the second highest-ranking firm, and so on in turn until a mutual agreement is established and the City of Thomasville awards a contract. The final form of the contract shall be developed by the City of Thomasville and selected firm.

From the issue date of this solicitation until a successful proposer is selected and the award is made official and announced, respondents are subject to the communication restrictions in paragraph 7.4.

2.6. Participation on More than One Respondent Team

To ensure a fair procurement process, the lead firm is forbidden from participating, in any capacity, on another Proposer’s team during the course of the procurement. If the City of Thomasville does not shortlist a Proposer as part of the SOQ evaluation process, the members of the unsuccessful Proposer team are free to participate on Shortlisted Proposer teams, subject to the requirements of Paragraph

2.7. The City of Thomasville reserves the right to disqualify any Respondent or Respondent team member that fails to comply with the prohibition contained in this paragraph from further participation on the Project.

2.7. Pre-Qualification Requirements

The City of Thomasville will require the prime consultant and sub-consultant members to be GDOT pre-qualified for the proposed work to perform. If a consultant desires to respond to this RFQ and does not hold a required area class to perform the work, the consultant is allowed to proceed in the procurement process so long as the consultant provides evidence (in the Statement of Qualifications response) of submission of the area class application (per GDOT’s Pre-Qualification Process) two (2) weeks prior to the Proposal due date, as set forth in the RFQ.

Consultants and/or sub-consultants who do not have the area classes approved three (3) weeks after the closing date of this RFQ shall be ineligible for award. Consultants and their sub-consultant team members, responding to this RFQ without the required area classes and no evidence of submission of the application are provided shall be ineligible to proceed in the process.

Prime Consultants are defined as the firm submitting the Statement of Qualifications and the firm with whom the City of Thomasville will contract. The Team is defined as the Prime Consultant and/or their sub-consultants, who are considered team members. The Prime Consultant or sub-consultant team members must be prequalified in the Area Classes identified below. Respondents should submit an Area Class Summary form (example provided in Form 8) which details the required area classes for the Prime Consultant and all sub-consultants or joint venture of consultants on the team listed in the Statement of Qualifications. The area classes listed on the summary form must at least meet all required area classes or the team will be disqualified.

City of Thomasville 6 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024

PRIME

Number Area Class

1.08 Airport Master Planning

SUB-CONSULTANTS

Number Area Class 2.09(a) Aviation Design – Civil 2.09(b) Aviation Design – Electrical

8.02 Airport Construction Administration and Observation

General information concerning GDOT’s pre-qualification requirements and process may be found under the pre-qualification link on the GDOT website at www.dot.ga.gov/doingbusiness and in GDOT’s “Consultant Prequalification Manual.”

2.8. Changes in Shortlisted Proposer Team

In the event that a Shortlisted Proposer seeks to change the composition or the percentage of participation of its team (including additions to a Shortlisted Proposer team), the Shortlisted Proposer shall obtain the City of Thomasville’s prior written approval of the proposed change and provide the City of Thomasville with sufficient details of the proposed change so as to facilitate the City of Thomasville’s consideration thereof. The City of Thomasville may, in its sole discretion, accept, reject, or seek additional information regarding a Shortlisted Proposer’s request to change the composition of its team or the percentage of participation of one or more team members and will base its decision on whether the Shortlisted Proposer as a whole still meets the minimum criteria contained in this RFQ and whether the City of Thomasville would still have shortlisted the team if such change had occurred before the Shortlisted Proposer submitted its SOQ. If a Shortlisted Proposer seeks to add one or more new team members or change the Lead Firm to its team, the proposed new member(s) shall provide all of the information that is required in this RFQ regarding members of a Respondent team.

2.9. Clarification Questions

Respondents shall examine the entire RFQ and seek clarification in writing. All questions regarding this RFQ should be addressed to Eve Geyer, Project Coordination, via email at eve.geyer@thomasville.org with the title “Planning and Engineering Consultant Services –RFQ 2024-011” in the subject line no later than 2:00 pm on November 4, 2024. Questions received after this date and time will not receive a response. All valid questions and responses will be posted on the GPR by close of business on November 06, 2024.

3. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The following Schedule of Events represents the City of Thomasville’s best estimate of the schedule that will be followed. All times indicated are Eastern Standard Time. This schedule is subject to modification at the sole discretion of the City of Thomasville. Pursuant to Paragraph 7.5 (Acknowledgement of Addenda), Proposers will be notified of any change by an addendum to this RFQ that will be posted on the GPR.

http://www.dot.ga.gov/doingbusiness mailto:eveg@thomasville.org

City of Thomasville 7 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024

PHASE 1 DATE TIME

The City of Thomasville issues public advertisement for RFQ 2024-011 10/22/2024 -------- Deadline for questions and requests for clarification regarding this RFQ 11/04/2024 2 pm The City of Thomasville posts responses to questions regarding the RFQ 11/06/2024 5 pm Deadline for submission of Statements of Qualifications 11/21/2024 4 pm

PHASE 2 DATE TIME

City of Thomasville completes evaluation and issues notification and other information to shortlisted firms By 11/27/24 5 pm

Interviews by shortlisted firms Week of 12/02/24 TBD Notification of evaluation committee recommendation Week of 12/09/24 5 pm

4. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

4.1. Prequalification

Presented teams must be prequalified in the indicated Area Classes in order to be evaluated.

Required proof of prequalification shall be submitted as indicated in Section 5.1.B. below. All Submittals will be pre-screened to verify that the Prime consultant has the required Area Classes and that the overall team has the required Area Classes. Any submittal in which the Prime consultant or the overall team area class requirements are not met will be disqualified from further consideration.

4.2. Selection Criteria for Phase 1 – Criteria for Evaluation of Statements of Qualifications

The Selection Committee will evaluate all firms on their Experience and Qualifications, which shall account for a maximum of 40 points of the total evaluation. The following criteria for scoring Phase 1 of the evaluation will be utilized to determine which firms are shortlisted:

1. Firm Qualifications and Experience

2. Key Personnel Qualifications and Experience

3. Relevant Project Experience

4. Geographical Location

5. Performance on Past Similar Projects

6. Familiarity with the FAA and GDOT Aviation Programs

7. Workload

8. Responsiveness to the RFQ

4.3. Selection Criteria for Phase 2 – Criteria Qualifications for Evaluation of Technical Approach and Past Performance

The Selection Committee will evaluate the shortlisted firms (Finalists) on their Technical Approach, which shall account for a maximum of 45 points of the total evaluation. The Selection Committee shall utilize the following additional criteria for scoring Phase 2 of the evaluation to determine the highest ranked/most qualified (NOTE: Scores from Phase 1 will be carried forward and combined with the scores from the Phase 2 to determine the final ranking of Finalists):

City of Thomasville 8 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024

1. Qualifications: Specialized experience and technical competence to perform professional services. Qualified in-house staff, established sub-consultant relationships.

2. Soundness of Approach: Solid technique of analysis, comprehensive problem solving, accomplishing objectives.

3. Integrity: Past record of performance, quality of work, competency.

4. Availability: Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing changes in task/direction, responding positively to change.

5. Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing changes in task/direction, responding positively to change.

6. Fiscal Responsibility: Evidence of pro-active cost control measures, budget constraint awareness.

7. Regulatory Knowledge: Experience w/FAA and GDOT Airport Programs, State/Local

Regulatory Procedures.

8. Innovation: Generating innovative solutions to project challenges, on innovative technology.

9. Customer Focus: Making Customer needs their primary focus, concerned with customer understanding procedures and timelines, answering questions in 'lay' terms.

4.4 Past Performance – maximum 15 points

The Selection Committee may consider information provided via references provided for relevant projects, knowledge any selection committee member has of performance on relevant projects and performance evaluations or knowledge presented on similar projects. The Selection Committee will consider all factors in their totality and score from 0 to 10 when arriving at a final score for the Past Performance.

5. PROPOSAL FORMAT

5.1. Instructions for Content and Preparation of Statements of Qualifications – Phase 1 Response

To secure information in a form that will ensure that proposals can be properly evaluated, you are asked to submit your proposal in the format listed below. Every effort should be made to make proposals as concise as possible using a minimum font size of 11 with no smaller than .5-inch margins; no more than twenty (20) pages, excluding tabs and other pages as indicated in Section 5; and printed on single-sided 8.5” x 11” paper. Each section must begin on a new page. The proposal must be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided in Paragraph 6.1, must be categorized and numbered as outlined below, and must be responsive to all requested information:

• Cover Page: Each submittal must have a separate cover page for each copy of each submittal and each must list the RFQ number, the RFQ title, the proposing firm’s full legal name, address, phone number, City of Thomasville 9 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024 email address, fax number, date of the proposal, and contact person with the contact information. This does not count toward the page limit.

• Cover Letter: Each submittal must have a separate cover letter for each copy of each submittal. This letter should at a minimum briefly state the understanding of the work to be done and a statement why the firm believes it is the best qualified to perform the work. The cover letter should be signed by the Proposer or an authorized representative and be no longer than one (1) page. This does not count toward the page limit.

A. Administrative Requirements

It is required to submit the information below for each copy of each submittal. This is general information and will not be scored but may be used to determine eligibility for selection. In addition, this section does not count toward the page limit.

1. Basic company information

a. Company name

b. Company headquarters’ address

c. Contact Information: name and all contact information (telephone number(s) and email address) of primary proposing contact (this will be the individual with whom the City of Thomasville will direct all communications)

d. Company website (if available)

e. Georgia Addresses: identify and provide addresses (if available) for the offices located in the State of Georgia

f. Staff: list the number and disciplines of staff members employed in each office in the State of Georgia (if available)

g. Ownership: Provide form of ownership, including state of residency or incorporation, Georgia Certificate of Authorization number, and the number of years in business. Is the Proposer a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited liability Corporation, or other structure?

2. Required Forms (Forms 1-8 – enclosed with RFQ) – this section does not count toward the page limit.

a. Certification Form: Complete the Certification Form (Form 1 enclosed with RFQ) and provide a notarized original within the firm’s Statement of Qualifications. This is to be submitted for the Prime ONLY.

b. Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act Affidavit: Complete the form (Form 2 enclosed with RFQ), and provide a notarized original within the firm’s Statement of Qualifications. This is to be submitted for the Prime ONLY.

City of Thomasville 10 Request for Qualifications

c. The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Standard Title VI/Non-

Discrimination Assurances, DOT Order No. 1050.2A (Appendix A): Per instructions on the form, complete the form (Form 3 enclosed with RFQ) and sign. This is to be submitted by the Prime and sub-consultants.

d. The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Standard Title VI/Non-

Discrimination Assurances, DOT Order No. 1050.2A (Appendix E): Per instructions on the form, complete the form (Form 4 enclosed with RFQ) and sign. This is to be submitted by the Prime and sub-consultants.

e. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters –

Primary Covered Transactions (49 CFR Part 29 – Appendix A): Per instructions on the form, complete the form (Form 5 enclosed with RFQ) and sign. This is to be submitted by the Prime.

f. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion –

Lower Tier Covered Transactions (49 CFR Part 29 – Appendix B): Per instructions on the form, complete the form (Form 6 enclosed with RFQ) and sign. This is to be submitted by the sub-consultant(s).

g. Addenda: Sign acknowledgement (Form 7 enclosed with RFQ) for any addenda issued.

This is to be submitted by the Prime ONLY.

h. Area Class Summary: Fill out table (Form 8 enclosed with RFQ) per instructions.

B. Experience and Qualifications:

1. Team Description/Background: A general description of the submitting firm and general information regarding any sub-consultant firms.

2. Resumes: Include for key personnel. Indicate each individual’s qualifications and experience.

3. Relevant Experience: Qualifications and experience of the primary firm in the past five (5) years at general aviation airports similar in nature to the Thomasville Regional Airport).

4. References: Contact name, agency name, and telephone number of at least four (4) current airport clients of the primary firm located within Georgia or adjacent states.

5. Regulatory Familiarity: Demonstrate familiarity with the Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA) Atlanta District Office and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Aviation Programs.

C. Additional Resources and Challenges

City of Thomasville 11 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024

1. Organizational chart which identifies the construction project manager, prime, Key Team Leaders, Key Team Member, support personnel, and reporting structure. This chart may be submitted on an 11” X 17” page (excluded from the page count).

2. Workload: Provide a brief summary of the primary firm’s current workload and ability to met schedules and deadlines.

3. Proximity to the Thomasville Regional Airport: Geographical location of the office that will be primarily responsible for assigned projects and where the work will be accomplished, as well as the location of any supporting offices that will likely be involved in this contract.

4. Narrative on Additional Resource Areas – Respondents are to provide information regarding additional resource areas identified as important to the project, to discuss how the key areas will integrate and work together on the project, to discuss any information which is pertinent to these areas, to provide a narrative regarding how the organization of the team, including the Construction Project Manager, Key Team Leaders, and Key Team Member can deliver the project. Respondents may discuss the advantages of the team and the abilities of the team members that will assist the City in achieving its performance targets and CIP.

5.2. Instructions for Preparing Technical Approach and Past Performance Response – Phase 2

Response

These instructions are intended solely for those firms identified and notified as finalists to be used during the interview process via a hand-out or a presentation.

Phase 2 Cover Page: Each submittal must have a separate cover page for each copy of each submittal and each must list the RFQ number, the RFQ title, the proposing firm’s full legal name, address, phone number, email address, fax number, date of the proposal, and contact person with the contact information.

A. Technical Approach

1. Special or unique qualifications for delivering the Scope of Work.

2. Management of funds and appropriate staff types and levels.

3. Detailed plan for adjusting resources allocation, if necessitated by a reduced or increased construction work plan.

4. Firm’s detailed approach to assist the City of Thomasville in meeting Performance Measures.

5. Firm’s recruitment and retention plan.

6. Types of reviews the firm will conduct to ensure the firm complies with Scope of Services.

7. Proposed quality control/quality assurance procedures.

City of Thomasville 12 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024

8. Ability to gather resources in the contract area, knowledge of the contract area, and ability to move, balance, and reallocate resources within the contract area.

9. Ability to manage project from Field Plan Review through project closeout.

B. Past Performance

No additional information should be submitted to fulfill this requirement. Information from the relevant projects listed as well as information on file with the Department will be used to fulfill this requirement.

Past performance may be evaluated through the checking of project references for the proposed project manager as well as the firm. The City of Thomasville will check these references at random. For this reason, attention should be paid to the references provided to ensure that the contact information provided is accurate and the individual references are reachable. Other past performance information, which may be utilized, includes GDOT consultant performance ratings as well as knowledge that any member of the Selection Committee has pertaining to the past performance of the firm on any project.

6. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

6.1. Instructions for Submittal for Phase 1 – Statements of Qualifications

There is one (1) hardcopy version submittal required and one (1) electronic version submittal required.

For the hard copy version, the Submittal must follow the format and meet content requirements identified in Paragraph 5.2. Submittal for Phase 1 should be bound together using a binder clip or other similar fashion, which allows the individual copies to be separated and distributed easily to Selection Committee Members. To secure information in a form that will ensure that proposals can be properly evaluated, you are asked to submit your proposal in the format listed below. Every effort should be made to make proposals as concise as possible using a minimum font size of 11 point with no smaller than .5-inch margins. The pages should be numbered. Responses are limited to page count per Paragraph 5.1 and printed single sided on standard (8 1/2” x 11”) paper. Each Statement of Qualifications shall be prepared simply and economically as indicated above. Fancy bindings, colored displays, and promotional materials are not desired. Emphasis must be on completeness, relevance, and clarity of content.

NOTE: Additional pages other than what has been specified above in each section should not be included and will be grounds for disqualification.

The hardcopy RFQ must be submitted to the following address no later than 2 p.m., November 21, 2024.

City of Thomasville

PO Box 1540 Attention: Engineering Department, RFQ 2024-011

Thomasville, GA 31799

City of Thomasville 13 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024

Submittals must be presented in a sealed opaque envelope or box; identify the Proposer’s name and title; and reference “RFQ 2024-01” and RFQ title “Planning and Engineering Consultant Services” clearly on the outside of the envelope or box. The City of Thomasville reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive any technicalities associated with this submittal if deemed in the best interest of the city.

For the electronic version submittal, the Submittal must be a PDF document and must follow the same format as the hardcopy submission. Submit the electronic version to Eve Geyer at eve.geyer@thomasville.org. Upon successful receipt of the electronic submittal, you will receive a receipt confirmation email to the sender. If you do not receive an email receipt confirmation for your submittal within one (1) hour of your submittal, please contact Lori McCardle at lorim@thomasville.org.

No submittals will be accepted after the time and date set for receipt. Late proposals will not be opened. The City of Thomasville shall assume no responsibility for responses that are received after the prescribed time or that are not properly addressed or identified.

6.2. Instructions for Submittal for Phase 2 – Technical Approach and Past Performance Response

There is one (1) electronic version submittal required. The Submittal must follow the format and meet the content requirements identified in Section 5.2. Each submittal shall be prepared simply and economically as indicated above. Colored displays and promotional materials are not desired. Emphasis must be on completeness, relevance, and clarity of content.

NOTE: Additional pages other than what has been specified above in each section should not be included and will be grounds for disqualification. Submittals are limited to the information requested in Section VII. Instructions for Preparing Technical Approach and Past Performance Response-Phase II Response only. Hyperlinks or embedded video are not allowed.

Technical Approach submittal must be a PDF document for each project/contract. Submit the electronic version to Eve Geyer at eve.geyer@thomasville.org. Upon successful receipt of the electronic submittal, you will receive a receipt confirmation email to the sender. If you do not receive an email receipt confirmation for your submittal within on (1) hour of your submittal, please contact Lori McCardle at lorim@thomasville.org.

Technical Approach must be received by the City of Thomasville prior to the deadline indicated in Notice to Selected Finalists. No submittals will be accepted after the time and date set for receipt.

7. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

7.1. Statement of Agreement

With the submission of qualifications, the Proposer agrees that the RFQ has been carefully examined and agrees that it is the Proposer’s responsibility to request clarification on any issues in any section of the RFQ with which the Proposer disagrees or needs clarified. The Proposer also understands that failure to mention these items during the question period or in the RFQ will be interpreted to mean that the respondent is in full agreement with the terms, conditions, specifications, and requirements therein.

With submission of an RFQ, the Proposer hereby certifies: (a) that the RFQ is genuine and is not made in the interest or on behalf of any undisclosed person, firm, or corporation; (b) that Proposer has not mailto:eve.geyer@thomasville.org mailto:lorim@thomasville.org mailto:eve.geyer@thomasville.org mailto:lorim@thomasville.org

City of Thomasville 14 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024 directly or indirectly included or solicited any other Proposer to put in a false RFQ; (c) that Proposer has not solicited or induced any person, firm, or corporation to refrain from submitting an RFQ.

The respondent also understands that failure to provide administrative information may not result in disqualification. At the City of Thomasville’s discretion, the City of Thomasville may notify the respondent that administrative information is not provided or there was an error in the information provided, and the City of Thomasville will allow a respondent to provide an update to the administrative information. However, the exception to this is the provision of the required GEORGIA SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION COMPLIANCE ACT AFFIDAVIT, which by Georgia Law requires disqualification of the response. The above changes mentioned to administrative information would be considered allowable, as these would be limited to changes that do not affect the information that the evaluators use to score the respondents. Failure of a respondent to provide the specific administrative information as required in the notice will result in disqualification. Any respondent who provides changes in addition to the information requested in the notice shall be subject to disqualification. Failure of a respondent’s SOQ to provide any information pertaining to a respondent and its team’s qualifications, of any type, will subject the SOQ to disqualification. The Department will not allow updates to qualifications to be provided to avoid disqualification as this would allow a respondent to modify its SOQ and alter the information that evaluators would score. The above changes related to qualifications would not be allowable, as these would allow changes that do affect the information that the evaluators use to score the respondents SOQ.

7.2. Joint Venture Proposals

The City of Thomasville does not generally desire to enter into “joint-venture” agreements with multiple firms. In the event two or more firms desire to “joint-venture,” it is strongly recommended that one firm propose and maintain status as the prime Proposer with the remaining companies participating as sub-providers.

7.3. Audit and Accounting System Requirements

City of Thomasville reserves the right to reject any proposal with firms that do not meet the following requirements:

A. Firm(s) should have an accounting system in place to meet requirements of 48 CFR Part 31 and, in the case of non-profit organizations, OMB Circular A-122.

B. Any firm that currently has an aggregate contract amount exceeding $250,000 should have submitted their yearly CPA overhead audit.

C. Firm(s) should have no significant outstanding deficient audit findings from previous contracts with GDOT that have not been resolved.

D. The prime is responsible for being reasonably assured that all sub-consultant(s) presented as a part of the proposed team are similarly in compliance with the above requirements.

7.4. Communication and Clarification Questions

City of Thomasville 15 Request for Qualifications

To ensure the proper and fair evaluation of proposals, the City of Thomasville prohibits any communication initiated by a Proposer or its agent to an employee of the City of Thomasville or GDOT while evaluating or considering the proposal during the period of time following the issuance of the RFQ, the opening of proposals, and prior to the time a decision has been made with respect to the contract award. An appropriate purchasing employee or contract specialist of the City of Thomasville may initiate communication with a Proposer in order to obtain information or clarification needed to develop a proper and accurate evaluation of the proposal. Unauthorized communication by the Proposer may disqualify the Proposer from consideration.

Respondents shall examine the entire RFQ and seek clarification in writing. All questions regarding this RFQ should be addressed to Eve Geyer, Project Coordination, via email at eve.geyer@thomasville.org with the title “Planning and Engineering Consultant Services –RFQ 2024-011” in the subject line no later than 2:00 pm on November 4, 2024. Questions received after this date and time will not receive a response. All valid questions and responses will be posted on the GPR by close of business on November 06, 2024.

7.5. Acknowledgment of Addenda

Addenda may be issued in response to changes in the RFQ. Addenda must be acknowledged by signing and returning the Addendum Form (Form 7). Failure to properly acknowledge any Addendum may result in a declaration of non-responsiveness by the City of Thomasville. All Addenda issued for this project may be found on the GPR.

7.6. Proposal Duration

No proposal may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the time and date scheduled (or subsequently rescheduled) for proposal opening. Proposals submitted in response to this RFQ must be valid for a period of 120 days from the proposal submission deadline and must be so marked.

7.7. Expenses of Preparing Responses to this RFQ

All expenses for preparing and submitting responses are the sole cost of the respondent submitting the response. The City of Thomasville is not obligated to any respondent to reimburse such expenses. All submittals upon receipt become the property of the Department.

7.8. Liability Provisions

Where Proposers are required to enter or go into City of Thomasville property to take measurements or gather other information in order to prepare the proposal as requested by the City, the Proposer shall be liable for any injury, damage or loss occasioned by negligence of the Proposer, his agent, or any person the Proposer has designated to prepare the Offer and shall indemnify and hold harmless City of Thomasville from any liability arising therefrom. The contract document specifies the liability provisions required of the successful Proposer in order to be awarded a contract with the City of Thomasville.

7.9. Certification of Independent Price Determination

mailto:eveg@thomasville.org

City of Thomasville 16 Request for Qualifications

By submission of this Offer, the Proposer certifies, and in the case of a joint offer, each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, that in connection with this procurement:

(A) The prices in this offer have been arrived at independently, without consultation, communication, or agreement, for restricting competition, as to any matter relating to such prices with any other competitor;

(B) Unless otherwise required by law, the prices which have been quoted in this offer have not been knowingly disclosed by the Proposer and will not knowingly be disclosed by the Proposer prior to opening, directly or indirectly to any other competitor; and

(C) No attempt has been made or will be made by the Proposer to induce any other person or firm to submit or not submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition.

7.10. Georgia Open Records Act

Without regard to any designation made by the person or entity making a submission, the City of Thomasville considers all information submitted in response to this invitation to be a public record that will be disclosed upon request pursuant to the Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq., without consulting or contacting the person or entity making the submission, unless a court order is presented with the submission. You may wish to consult an attorney or obtain legal advice prior to making a submission. Labeling information provided in submittals “proprietary” or “confidential,” or any other designation of restricted use will not protect the information from public view. Subject to the provisions of the Georgia Open Records Act, the details of the proposal documents will remain confidential until final award.

7.11. Award Conditions

This request is not an offer to contract or a solicitation of bids. This request and any proposal submitted in response, regardless of whether the proposal is determined to be the best proposal, is not binding upon the City of Thomasville and does not obligate the City of Thomasville to procure or contract for any services. Neither the City of Thomasville nor any respondent submitting a response will be bound unless and until a written contract mutually accepted by both parties is negotiated as to its terms and conditions and is signed by the City of Thomasville and a respondent containing such terms and conditions as are negotiated between those parties. The City of Thomasville reserves the right to waive non-compliance with any requirements of this Request for Qualifications and to reject any or all proposals submitted in responses. Upon review of responses, the City of Thomasville will determine the respondent(s) proposal that in the sole judgment of the City of Thomasville is in the best interest of the City (if any is so determined), with respect to the evaluation criteria stated herein. The City of Thomasville then intends to conduct negotiations with such respondent(s) to determine if an acceptable contract may be reached.

The City of Thomasville reserves the right to waive any informalities or irregularities of proposals, to request clarification or information submitted in any proposal, to request additional information from any proposer, or to reject any or all proposals, and to re-advertise for proposals. The City of Thomasville also reserves the right to extend the date or time scheduled for the opening of proposals.

8. CONTRACT, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS

City of Thomasville 17 Request for Qualifications

The selected proposer agrees to the following contract terms and conditions. These are not all inclusive of a contract – final contract negotiation will occur – but are the minimum terms and conditions.

Products produced by the selected consultant will become property of the City and not proprietary of the consultant.

8.1. Contract Formation

The proposal becomes a contract only when legally awarded and accepted in writing by the City. This RFP, any subsequent addendum(s), and the consultant’s proposal will be incorporated into the resulting contract.

8.2. Variation from Request for Proposal

The City reserves the right to negotiate final terms with the selected consultant that may vary from those contained in this RFP.

8.3. Compliance with Laws

The Proposer shall obtain and maintain all licenses, permits, liability insurance, workman's compensation insurance and comply with any and all other standards or regulations required by Federal, State or City statute, ordinances and rules during the performance of any contract between the Proposer and the City. Any such requirement specifically set forth in any contract document between the Proposer and the City shall be supplementary to this section and not in substitution thereof.

8.4. Records Retention

The Proposer shall retain all required records for not less than 3 years after the City of Thomasville makes final payment and all other pending matters are closed.

8.5. Additional Agreement Provisions

This RFQ is issued in accordance with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular #150/5100-14E and applicable local, state, and federal statues and laws.

8.5.1. Non-Discrimination

The City of Thomasville, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 78 Stat.

252, 42 USC 2000d--42 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all Proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement will afford full opportunity to disadvantaged business enterprises as defined in 49 CFR Part 23 to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, sex, or national origin in consideration for an award. During the performance of this agreement, the contractor/consultant, for itself, its assignees and successors in interest (hereinafter referred to as the “contractor”) agrees to the following:

City of Thomasville 18 Request for Qualifications

• Compliance with Regulations: The consultant shall comply with the Regulations relative to non-discrimination in federally assisted programs of United States Department of Transportation (US DOT), Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, part 21, as they may be amended from time to time, (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations), which are herein incorporated by reference and made a part of this contract.

• Non-discrimination: The consultant, with regard to the work performed by it during the contract, shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, sex, or national origin in the selection and retention of sub-contractors, including procurement of materials and leases of equipment. The contractor shall not participate either directly or indirectly in the discrimination prohibited by Section 21.5 of the Regulations, including employment practices when the contract covers a program set forth in Appendix B of the Regulations.

• Solicitations for Sub-contracts, Including Procurement of Materials and Equipment: In all solicitations either by competitive bidding or negotiations made by the consultant for work to be performed under a sub-contract, including procurement of materials or leases of equipment, each potential sub-contractor or supplier shall be notified by the consultant of the contractor's obligations under this contract and the Regulations relative to non-discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, or national origin.

• Information and Reports: The consultant shall provide all information and reports required by the Regulations or directives issued pursuant thereto, and shall permit access to its books, records, accounts, other sources of information, and its facilities as may be determined by the contracting agency or the appropriate federal agency to be pertinent to ascertain compliance with such Regulations, orders and instructions. Where any information required of a contractor is in the exclusive possession of another who fails or refuses to furnish this information, the contractor shall so certify to GDOT or the USDOT as appropriate, and shall set forth what efforts it has made to obtain the information.

• Sanctions for Non-compliance: In the event of the consultant’s non-compliance with the non-discrimination provisions of this contract, the consulting agency shall impose such contract sanctions as it or the USDOT may determine to be appropriate, including, but not limited to withholding of payments to the contractor under the contract until the contractor complies, and/or cancellation, termination, or suspension of the contract, in whole or in part.

8.5.2. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE)

GDOT encourages the formation and growth of new and existing Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), as defined in 49 CFR Part 26, by providing an opportunity to compete for and participate in GDOT’s engineering consultant contracts. All solicitations and contracts shall document whether there is a DBE Goal associated with it and if so, what the associated DBE Goal is for the contract.

If a contract has a DBE goal, the consultant must meet or exceed the goal or substantiate that it made a Good Faith Effort to do so consistent with GDOT Equal Opportunity DBE Program Plan.

Consultants must adhere to commitments made to utilize DBEs as indicated in the firm’s SOQ

City of Thomasville 19 Request for Qualifications

Planning and Engineering Consultant Services October 22, 2024 proposal. GDOT will monitor the use of DBEs on contracts to ensure that they are performing commercially useful functions as outlined in the SOQ proposal and the contract, as well as subcontract agreements between prime consultants and DBE firms.

8.5.3. Small Business Concerns

To comply with 49 CFR Part 26.39, GDOT’s DBE Program incorporates contracting requirements to facilitate participation by Small Business Concerns (SBCs) on Federal-Aid contracts. SBCs are for-profit businesses, registered to do business in Georgia and meet the Small Business Administration (SBA) size standards for average annual revenue criteria for its primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.

While the SBC component of the DBE Program does not require utilization goals on projects, GDOT strongly encourages consultants to take reasonable steps to eliminate obstacles to SBCs participation and to utilize small businesses that are registered in Georgia Non DBE Small Business Directory on their contracts, in addition to certified DBE’s. SBC component of the DBE Program is managed by GDOT Equal Opportunity Division.

8.5.4. Suspension and Debarment

The City of Thomasville shall verify suspension and debarment actions and eligibility status of consultants and sub-consultants prior to entering into an agreement or contract in accordance with 2 CFR part 1200 and 2 CFR part 180.

8.6. Consultant’s Insurance

The consultant shall not commence work under this Contract until he has obtained all the insurance required under this paragraph and such insurance has been approved by the City, nor shall the consultant allow any sub-consultant to commence work on his subcontract until all similar insurance required of the subcontractor has been so obtained and…